


Why Did We Ever?

by TheAfroWonderWrites



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Emotional Constipation, F/F, F/M, Jealous Derek, Kissing, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Monsters, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Slow Build, Succubi & Incubi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-11 06:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1169849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAfroWonderWrites/pseuds/TheAfroWonderWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles enlists an unlikely ally to help him solve a new string of murders in Beacon Hills. Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned. And not everything is as it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why Did We Ever?

**Author's Note:**

> A big huge thanks to [Refaya](http://realitiesblurred.tumblr.com/) for being an awesome beta, as well as encouraging me to post this. I hope you all like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It really wasn't a big surprise to everyone when Beacon Hills experienced yet another string of murders. However, what was surprising is that no one felt threatened enough to do anything about it. Derek Hale told Scott to let the cops handle this one which had a trickle-down effect among the others, so the only one left to actually question it was Stiles. Three murders went down in the forest within a five mile radius, and three was a pattern, but there wasn't anything about the victims that linked them together; not age, not ethnicity, not education; nothing.  
But Stiles knew better.  
Since the werewolves weren't going to be of any help, Stiles decided to turn to another that he thought he would have a better chance of talking into helping him. Around the same time of the murders, a lone succubus by the name of Lia began attending Beacon Hills High; there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about her behavior, but the fact remained that she wasn't human. Usually, that was never good, but in this case she and Stiles became pretty close friends during the course of the year. She came over for dinner and he hung out in her one bedroom apartment to escape being alone when his dad wasn't there and when Scott was too busy with a new love interest. So it wasn't unusual that he came over after school one day. It wasn't even unusual that he poured obsessively over notes he photocopied from the police station.  
“You know, this whole murder thing has the police station puzzled,” Stiles commented in an off-hand manner testing the waters.  
“Yeah,” Lia agreed. Today, she was sitting on the floor by the couch, strumming casually on an acoustic guitar, “Is that why you've been hanging out over here more?”  
“Yeah, Dad's been hard on the case and they have no leads whatsoever.”  
“That really sucks.”  
Stiles watched as she plucked out the melody to an acoustic song he kept hearing on the radio. She was completely engulfed, but this didn’t stop him.  
“The werewolves want nothing to do with this either,” He said as he placed some of his notes together and discarded the ones he wrote down earlier that made no sense.  
“I'm sure your dad and his colleagues are hard at work.”  
Stiles drummed his pencil on the papers repeatedly as a backdrop to her guitar before he finally blurted out, “C'mon Lia, let's go check it out.”  
Without missing a beat, she replied, “I didn't come to Beacon Hills to get tangled up in this mess.”  
“Whatever's out there, it's been killing people!”  
“And if your friends won't get involved, what makes you think I will?”  
“Because,” he crawled over his mess of papers to level with her, “With great power comes great responsibility?”  
Lia's eyes flicked up to meet his with a smirk, “Did you really quote Spider Man at me?”  
“Er, you're not the hero Beacon Hills wants...”  
“I've seen Batman, too, Stiles,” her eyes went back to her strings, uninterested.  
Stiles jaw hardened and he erratically moved his hands in frustration, “Okay, look,” Stiles pushed on his knees to stand up and pace, “Let's just say we leave this whole thing alone. It can only get worse and more innocent people will die. It ends up, somehow coming after the school and we inevitably get tangled up anyway.”  
“You're assuming worst case scenario.”  
“Well, given the last year, can you blame me? I mean, if Beacon Hills had a run-of-the-mill serial killer it would be a welcome breath of fresh air compared to dealing with psychotic werewolves, a kanima, hunters and a Darach.”  
Lia rolled her eyes and laughed lightly at Stiles' dramatic hand gestures.  
“The deaths are identical and in a mile radius. There was a pattern like this with everything else we've faced. Something's in the woods, Lia.”  
Lia clapped her hands on the neck of the guitar to silence her playing before her eyes met Stiles', “And what do you want me to do about it?”  
Lia's irritated gaze froze Stiles in his tracks. She raised her eyebrows expectantly as she waited for him to answer.  
“We find whatever’s out there and you seduce it.”  
“Okay, well using your example and going worst case scenario, if whatever is out there isn't human, I have a very slim chance of being able to.”  
“But you've been able to seduce the werewolves.”  
“Yeah, because they're shapeshifting humans. My chances drop whenever they wolf out.”  
“But most of these things we've faced have been half-human, Lia! We have to try!” Stiles took a deep breath and gave a defeated sigh, “Please.”  
Lia seemed to be taking in his crestfallen stance and tilted her head slightly, “Why is this so important to you?”  
“Because we've been in this situation before! People have died. People are dying now!”  
“And while I'm sorry to hear that, these are people that you have no tie with whatsoever. Why does this affect you personally, Stiles?”  
Stiles paused before he said, “If this thing isn't human and it's killing people in the vicinity of the woods, the cops will go to the scene to check it out, right? What if it's going after them JUST for being there? What if it's territorial or something?”  
Lia's eyes brightened in realization, “You're worried about your dad, aren't you?”  
Stiles' eyes met hers for a moment before he cast them downward, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment at his own vulnerability as he admitted, “Yeah, I am.”  
He heard Lia give a resigned sigh as she set her guitar aside, “Fine, but only because you're my friend and your dad keeps feeding me, but we need a game plan.”  
Stiles silently pumped his fist in victory just out of her view.

\--

Seduce the bad guy, get his motives. The plan seemed simple enough until Stiles heard a noise that could best be described as a thunderous boom. It was so loud that it reverberated in his chest and caused him to tremble in its wake. The next thing he heard was an equally thunderous roar that cut through the air like a knife and paralyzed him in its deafening echo. Soon after, he could hear running through the woods, two sets of feet, one that he assumed belonged to the beast and one that undoubtedly belonged to Lia.  
He could see her sprinting towards him with a terrified look on her face. This wasn't a good sign considering she was a succubus who hinted on a couple of occasions that she may have been more powerful than an alpha. Honestly, with that kind of power, what could a succubus have to be afraid of?  
“Run, Stiles, run!” For a split second, he could see a hideous man beast hot on her heels with wild red hair like that of a mane surrounding a contorted, leathery face that flashed razor sharp, shark-like teeth. Its body was huge and bulky, an anthropomorphic lion. She didn't have to tell him twice. Not that he had much of a choice because she immediately grabbed his wrist and started dragging him along with shocking strength and speed.  
“At least pretend to run!!”  
Stiles tried to keep up with her the best he could, half running, half dragged along, “What the hell is that thing?!” He yelled between breaths.  
“It's a manticore!”  
They continued to run through the woods, which really, shouldn’t have been much of a surprise to Stiles. It had become his life for the last few years now, but this time it was more terrifying not only because he didn't know what a manticore was, but it was cold, and the icy air was making his throat and eyes sting and water as they tore through the woods at top speeds. Something about barely being able to see where they were going with booming footsteps behind them didn't sit well with Stiles. Thankfully after five minutes, they died down and Lia pulled them both behind a large tree with a hollow big enough for both of them to fit snugly.  
“Nice track speed,” Stiles commented, breathless, his eyes were wide with terror. Lia was too busy looking around, so he wasn't sure if she heard him or not. Not that he could blame her.  
“Why did we ever think this was going to work?” Stiles groaned.  
Lia's gaze immediately fell on Stiles, her eyes flashing a deep, menacing magenta at him, “'We'?! I told you I have a lower chance of seducing non-humans!”  
“Yeah, but you said you can still seduce half-humans!”  
“Assuming that what I'm dealing with is half-human! This,” Her eyes flicked pointedly, outside the tree, “isn't.”  
“Well what the fuck is it?!”  
“It's usually a guardian. Someone put it here to protect something. It was disguised as a human, and I went through the usual process but it didn't work.”  
“So you didn't see what it was hiding?”  
“It was hiding an ancient medallion that allows one the power of the Gods.”  
“Whoa, really?”  
“Fucking NO, Stiles! I have no fucking clue!”  
Stiles gave an exasperated sigh, his fingers twitching in anxious thought, “Okay, so by your reaction, these things aren't common.”  
“No, they don't usually go somewhere of their own volition.”  
“Yeah, but why would it be guarding anything out in the woods? What would be so important that someone would feel the need to--”  
Before Stiles could finish, there was a crackling, ripping noise around them.  
“What's that?” Stiles asked in a whisper.  
“I think we have company,” Lia replied in a frantic whisper, looking around for their best exit, “Okay, listen, I need you to grab me.”  
Stiles looked at Lia skeptically. He was at least two heads taller than her.  
Lia's eyes narrowed at him, “Wrap your arms around me like you're trying to pick me up, or I'm leaving you here for bait.”  
Stiles wrapped his arms around Lia, just in time for their protective shelter to be uprooted. In an instance, Lia sprouted huge, bat-like wings and took off to the sky, holding Stiles close to her like he weighed nothing more than a kitten.  
“Whoa! Whoa! We're flying!”  
“You already knew that I could fly.”  
Stiles held her a little tighter as the trees began to look quite small and the air around them became much cooler, “Well I haven't been flying with you!”  
Lia smirked at Stiles as he held on tighter, amused by his terrified, but awe-struck face. As she glided with ease away from danger, she met his wide-eyed gaze and said, “Listen, you have to tell everyone what you saw, but keep me out of this.”  
“Then how am I going to tell them I got away?”  
“I don't know, say it got distracted or something. You already know how much the pack LOVES me.”  
“Issac doesn't seem to mind you,” Stiles quipped.  
Lia rolled her eyes, “Issac's not the one I'm worried about.”  
“Fair enough. What now?”  
“I'm going to take you home. I was lacing the forest with pheromones so if it comes after anyone it'll be me.”  
“But what about you? What if it finds you?”  
Lia smiled, “Don’t worry about me. It’s better off if it comes after me than you. I don't think I could live with myself if I had no one to manipulate,” She said this with a deeper voice and a grumpy expression to imitate Derek Hale.  
Stiles actually laughed a little easy at her impression, but it was cut short when he heard a sudden whizzing noise pierce through the air and land by them with a sickening 'thunk'.  
Stiles looked around frantically before he pulled himself up to look down Lia's back where a large, sharp spine stuck out.  
“Lia?! What the hell is that?” He lowered himself to look in her eyes which looked hazy. She looked pale which was very concerning considering this happened within the span of a few seconds, “Lia?!”  
“Stinger...”  
“What?! From what?!”  
“Manticore... they have... a scorpion tail.”  
“Are you serious?!” Then Stiles immediately realized what that meant as he felt both of them swerve in the air, “Whoa! Don't let go! Stay with me!!”  
He felt Lia's grip loosen, but tightened again, trying to keep him safe, “Poisonous... Stiles...”  
“Shit! Lia, you have to get us out of here, you have to stay with me! Listen to my voice!”  
Lia's eyes were slowly beginning to close, “M'sorry...” Her words slurred together and her body began to relax.  
“No, no, Lia! Wake up! Come on!” Stiles screamed, pleading with her. He patted the side of her face, slapping her in urgency, but unfortunately for him, her body went slack and they began to fall.  
Everything felt like it slowed down as soon as Lia slipped into unconsciousness. Stiles tried his best to hold on, but Lia whirled in the air like a poorly constructed paper airplane, causing him to lose his grip at the violent jerks she made in the air. He watched with a horrified fascination as she crashed somewhere in the distance all while he felt himself fall. Really, the falling wasn't so bad. It was kind of like he was flying on his own, only towards the ground.  
Well shit, after all of this supernatural mess he didn't think the way he would go out would be death by losing his grip around a misunderstood succubus who in turn was poisoned by a manticore. He smirked at the thought while glancing towards the impending doom in the form of solid ground, but what Stiles saw wasn't ground. Iit was a lake with a very thin layer of ice forming at the top. He quickly straightened his body and tilted his head back very slightly so he would rocket into the water without doing some sort of pain-inducing belly flop.  
Stiles took the deepest breath he could manage before he plunged into the water. Thankfully, it was deep enough so he didn't have to worry about breaking both of his legs, but it was so cold that he immediately gasped, filling his lungs up with icy water. He was paralyzed with immediate pins and needles at the heat stolen from him, and God, the pain from landing. Did he mention the pain? Despite the straight-as-an-arrow position he managed to form, it still hurt like a bitch, but that wasn't the worst part. Now he was going to die by falling away from a succubus and right into freezing water. If he didn't drown and managed to get out, the hypothermia was going to set in.  
This was bad. This was really, REALLY bad.  
He flailed in the water until he broke the surface, sputtering, and coughing as water drained from his nose and mouth while his breath came in short gasps like he just couldn't pull in enough air. Though disoriented, he glanced around quickly to find the fastest route out, which lucky for him, was in sight, but maybe some twenty feet away. He was a pretty athletic guy though, and an adept swimmer to boot. Hell, if he could keep Derek afloat for nearly two hours then this would be nothing!  
After taking a moment to gain his bearings, he realized his breath was becoming a little more even in his chest and he began to make his way toward the shoreline. A little more than halfway there, he felt himself beginning to give out, his limbs failing to do what he wanted them to, the water like freezing molasses that his arms refused to cut through any more.  
“C'mon Stilinski,” Stiles said aloud. Even to his own ears his voice sounded odd, shaky and very unlike himself, but he pushed, “C'mon...”  
His vision began to blur and he felt his body beginning to sink and the freezing, murky pit consume him.  
“No,” he whimpered, “No, no... just a little...” He struggled, and with each struggle he made, the weaker he became until he felt his ears touch the water, and soon his chin.  
“No please... gotta...” He whispered, craning his neck as long as it would go before his head inevitably slipped under.  
So, this was it. This was how he was going to go out. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe the colder conditions would mean his dad wouldn't find his corpse disgustingly bloated. Maybe he would stay well intact like that nun who stayed preserved for like five hundred years or something.  
Before Stiles could slip into unconsciousness, he felt himself tugged upward very abruptly, causing him to gasp sharply. He glanced over to see none other than Derek Hale, standing knee deep in water holding him by the collar and looking very angry -- big surprise.  
Stiles felt himself attempt to communicate, he wasn't sure what though. A sound of some sort must have left his lips. Either way, Derek went from pissed off to really concerned in two seconds and immediately stripped off his own shirt and jacket, exchanging Stiles' sodden clothing for his drier ones. He quickly tucked the bundle of wet clothes under one arm and held the younger man close with the other.  
“You're so lucky I was here,” he grumbled as he ran full force towards his own loft, carrying Stiles close to his chest the entire way.

\--

Lia wasn't sure how long she had blacked out, but when she finally came to, every bit of her body – inside and out - hurt. Crash landing was no joke, so it was a good thing she wasn't human. However, Stiles was, and she immediately pulled herself up, her wide eyes scanning the forest for any sign of him, “Stiles?” She was relieved in a way that she didn't find his broken body sprawled next to hers, but the other possibilities were pretty bleak as well.  
“Stiles?!” She screamed out again.  
She went to stand up, but realized she couldn't because of her aching body. She felt bruised, but inside she felt like fire was creeping through her veins.  
She wasn't sure which hurt worse.  
On top of that, she remembered hearing his panicked voice, feeling his hand becoming numb as he cried out and patted her face as she dropped him.  
She fucking dropped him.  
She dropped the only true friend she had in this town, and her heart sank.  
“Stiles?!” She cried out again more frantic this time. All she heard in turn was another deafening boom in the far distance.  
Not again. She couldn't handle facing the manticore. But hell, what if it was going after Stiles?  
To her surprise, before she could call out, a hand clasped over her mouth firmly and a familiar voice hissed in her ear, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”  
Lia turned her head to come face-to-face with none other than Ms. Morrell and her heart felt like it was going to stop.  
That face... the reason why she came back to Beacon Hills after moving away several years ago. The fair, bronzed skin, the light peppering of freckles on her cheeks and her chocolate eyes, God those eyes... but now they looked hard, gone was the softness of their youth.  
“Marin...” She breathed, and for a moment all she could see was her. She was the light at the end of the tunnel, she was the pot of gold, she was the dream made flesh...  
But Stiles...  
Another roar and the crackling of trees in the distance.  
“We have to go,” Marin said quickly, helping Lia up.  
“No, no, no, Stiles is still out there! We have to find him!”  
“Forget Stiles, he's probably long gone by now,” Marin replied, pulling Lia's frame close to hers to help her along, “And we're going to be like him if we don't get out of here.”  
“No!” Though weak, Lia managed to pull away, “Stiles!!” She screamed out, “Open your eyes!! Wake up, Stilinski!!” Her voice rose in hysteria and tears began to swell behind her eyes, “STILES!”  
Marin grabbed Lia and began dragging her, “If you keep struggling like that, you're going to spread the poison and you're going to be in a world of hurt.”  
Indeed, Lia could feel the burning, searing, fever-like sensation settling into her body, but despite this she pushed again. Instead of running like she wanted to, the injuries she sustained caused her to fall in a heap on the ground. She tightened her fists and screamed toward the forest, “It wasn't supposed to happen like this! He wasn't supposed to...” She couldn't bring herself to say it. The words just caught in her throat and her eyes stung.  
Marin knelt down and pulled Lia out of the dirt before raising her own arm and striking Lia across the face, hard, “Pull yourself together!”  
Lia held the side of her face, staring at Marin, shocked.  
“We need to go, now. You're going to die if you don't let me help you.”  
This time, Lia let Marin pull her up and grab her close. She let Marin help her along, though she couldn’t help but steal glances over her shoulder, her eyes blurring with unfallen tears. As the view of the forest became further and further away, her body felt heavy and it became difficult to move.  
“You have to work with me,” Marin growled in frustration.  
“Marin, I can't...” Lia murmured to her before everything descending into darkness again.

\--

If time travel somehow existed, and he had popped back to tell himself that very morning, 'Hey, you're going to end up naked in Derek Hale's loft tonight!' He would have never believed himself. Then again, he may have told himself something more important like, 'Hey, that idea you have about going into the woods? Might not want to.'  
Jesus, if he had only thought his entire plan through. Why did he ever think it was going to work?  
Between being lost in thought and still trying to gain his bearings from the whole ordeal, he barely noticed Derek had come into the room carrying a small bowl with a cloth hanging out of it, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Stiles' eyes flicked up to meet his and he reflexively pulled the blanket Derek had bundled him in even closer to his body. Something about being naked in front of Derek...  
“Warmer?” Derek asked while stirring the rag in the bowl.  
Stiles gave a slight nod, “Y-Yeah,” but his trembling voice betrayed him.  
“At least you're coherent,” Derek murmured as he sat on the couch next to where Stiles was, settling the bowl on the floor, “Give me your right arm.”  
“Why?”  
“You got hurt, Stiles.”  
“What? No way...” Stiles poked his arm out from the blanket and sure enough, there was a huge gash on his forearm. His eyes widened at the blood that had become caked to the surrounding skin.  
Derek held Stiles' wrist with one hand and took the cloth from the bowl in the other. Stiles could hear the excess water being wrung out of the cloth and it never sounded so ominous as it dripped back into the bowl. He tried to bring his arm back to no avail.  
“It's not that bad, Derek, really,” He protested as best he could, but Derek ignored him and pressed the cloth to his wound. It only felt mildly uncomfortable. He had mixed something floral and woodsy into the water, giving it a pleasant smell. Surprisingly, Derek was very gentle at cleansing his wound, dabbing very gingerly at it, gently wiping the spots of blood that didn't come up with the first sweep.  
“W-What's in the water?”  
“Lavender and tea tree oil,” Derek replied curtly, reaching for the bottle of alcohol and pouring that into the rag, “This is the part that will probably sting.”  
And when Derek applied that cloth a second time, he was right. His immediate response was to try and jerk back, but Derek had a firm hold on him so he couldn't escape the sting.  
Stiles pressed his lips together and grunted at the pain. Again, Derek was full of surprises, because he leaned his head down just slightly and said, “Stop squirming,” before airing out the wound with a light fanning of his hand.  
It seemed like the discomfort vanished instantly or maybe it was in his head. The last time someone carefully nursed a cut like this for him was his mother, and that was a long time ago. To take his own mind off of what was happening he asked, “So, what's with the oil?”  
Derek exchanged the alcohol for more of the water, “My mother used to use it when we got hurt.”  
“I thought werewolves didn't get hurt.”  
“We can up until puberty,” He reached by the couch for some gauze which he must have put there when Stiles wasn't paying attention, “So this is what would help us heal faster, but I thought the alcohol would be necessary for you too.”  
Stiles watched as Derek began wrapping the gauze around his forearm, “So if you can heal insanely fast then why do you have all this stuff?”  
Derek gave a light shrug, “Because you never know.”  
“And the oils?”  
Derek looked a little more focused on what he was doing as he hesitantly admitted, “Comfort.”  
Stiles gave an understanding nod. He knew the small, nostalgic comforts of a lost loved one all too well.  
Derek finished wrapping a bandage in place over the gauze. He then reached for the blanket, still clinging to Stiles' shoulder and gingerly slipped it down, revealing a smaller cut on his collarbone.  
Derek tilted his head at the mark as if to assess the damage, but wordlessly grabbed the cloth again.  
Stiles felt his face tingling at the exposure and Derek's eyes on his flesh.  
“I'll make it quick. I know you're still cold.”  
Since Stiles' body was more exposed, Derek felt so much closer now that he was tending to his collarbone. He was so close that Stiles realized he was staring at Derek's profile, which was inches away, and feeling an irresistible urge to touch his stubble. It was just pure curiosity and that was it. Was it soft? Prickly? A little of both? Speaking of proximity, whatever Derek had on smelled very nice. Something deep and woodsy that made his heart speed up. He watched Derek’s lips purse together and blow gently at the stinging sensation on his collarbone. Just an inch closer, and Derek's lips would be on him.  
Before he could mull this thought over too much, Derek's eyes flicked up for just a moment from his work to meet Stiles' attentive gaze, “Why were you in the woods?”  
And in that instance, it felt like his heart dropped to his stomach.  
“I wanted to see if I could find any clues about the recent killings.”  
Derek slipped the blanket back up Stiles' shoulder, drawing it about the younger man like a cloak, “By yourself?  
“I mean, I've done it before.”  
“Do you realize you could have died tonight?” Derek's voice was rising a little in intensity.  
“Then what about you? There's no way you could have stopped a manticore either.”  
Derek backed up with a look of surprised horror, “You saw a manticore?”  
“Yeah, you know, lion head and body, creepy face...”  
“I know what a manticore is! How did you even get away without it catching you?! Those things are extremely strong and fast...” Derek's voice trailed off as sudden realization washed over his face, “You were with her again, weren't you?”  
His eyes widened at the accusation. Well, so much for covering that up. He never was a good liar. Derek would hear his heart anyway.  
“Stiles, I told you not to hang around that succubus! Nothing good can ever come from that!”  
“The killings aren't her fault, Derek!”  
“Even if I believed that, she left you for dead in the woods tonight. You were drowning and if I hadn't heard you--”  
Stiles cut him off, “It's not her fault! The manticore poisoned her and...” In that moment, it all came crashing back down on him. His chest suddenly felt tight in realization, “Oh God, she didn't make it.”  
When Derek saw Stiles' expression, he backed off a little, but still insisted in a much quieter tone, “She would have gotten you killed somehow.”  
“She was trying to get me away from that thing! It was my idea to go into the woods and she followed me so I wouldn't get hurt!” Stiles buried his head in his hands, “We were almost home free and she was taken down...” His breath caught when he remembered this.  
“She very well could still be alive. Succubi don't die that easily, and even if she didn't die, you'd best leave her alone.”  
Stiles whipped his head up, glaring at Derek, “If she wanted me dead, she would have killed me already!”  
“She's using you as a cover since you're the only one in the entire group that keeps defending her!”  
“I keep defending her because she hasn't done anything wrong!”  
“Have you been around her at the time of these murders?” Derek stood up and grabbed the recent paper off the table snapping it open and pointing to an article, “Found dead, no signs of struggle,” He held the picture close to Stiles' face, “This happened during the night. Were you together last night?”  
Stiles snatched the article out of Derek’s hand and looked it over. This was a new murder and unlike the others, it didn’t happen in the woods. The previous night, Lia and Stiles went out for burgers, did their homework and she excused herself to go home early. He remembered making a bad joke to her on the way out and she laughed calling ‘That was punny!’ as she walked away.  
“Well, no...”  
“Then how do you know?”  
Stiles' brow furrowed and he felt a surge of anger, “Why are you being all alpha on me now? Where the fuck were you in the summertime when people were getting killed by the Darach? Oh, that's right, you were fucking her!” Derek's nostrils flared and his jaw went tight as Stiles hit an obvious sore spot, but he didn’t stop there, “And now you have the audacity to fucking tell me that I'm making bad choices by hanging around a succubus who has done more for me in the past few months than you have since you came back? Fuck you, dude.” Stiles stood up abruptly, but was stopped from moving by a sharp pain by his abdomen. He tried to take a deep breath, but realized that it hurt so much that his body convulsed suddenly in pain.  
Derek looked like he was ready to walk away until he saw Stiles' angry expression grow tight and his body shake, “Stiles, what's wrong?” He immediately came to the boy's side and steadied him.  
Stiles coughed at the pain, hard, and even the act of coughing hurt him. He moaned between the coughs until Derek lowered him gently into a sitting position again.  
Derek knelt in front of him, worry etching his brows. Stiles' sudden onset of pain definitely outweighed the argument they had.  
When Stiles finally stopped coughing, he sat back against the cushion, his breath coming in small gasps.  
He noticed Derek's eyes widen considerably.  
Stiles wanted to ask what was wrong but it was difficult to catch his breath. Derek reached out and smoothed the pad of his thumb against the side of his mouth. When he pulled his thumb back it was red with blood. Stiles wiped the back of his mouth with his hand. There was blood in his spit. Not a lot, but enough to be significant.  
Derek pulled down the blanket hastily. He didn't bother to ask what hurt; he just began to gently press on Stiles' ribs until he came near the bottom. Derek didn't push very hard, but Stiles yelled in agony, the sound echoing the entire loft. While Derek looked alarmed by this, he didn't move his hand. The veins suddenly bulged, turning as black as oil. They pulsed with sludge that ran up the length of his arm. At the same time, Stiles' pain disappeared completely and he could finally breathe like he normally would. He looked at Derek's hand which was still pressed against his side before he met his gaze.  
“Why did you do that?”  
Derek said nothing as their eyes met and he slowly, almost reluctantly brought his hand back, “Do you really think I'm that much of a dick?”  
Stiles smirked at this, “Only sometimes. Did it hurt?”  
“Only for a second,” Derek shifted and stood up, “We're taking you to the doctor.”  
Stiles shook his head hastily, “No way. My dad can't know about this.”  
“You could die if you don't go to the hospital. I took away your pain, but it's only a temporary fix.”  
“Derek, my dad may already know about all of this werewolf stuff, but if he finds out I got hurt then he'll really freak out. Even if I go to Scott's mom she HAS to tell my dad.”  
“So having your dad freak out is worse than dying?”  
“Yes it's worse because he'll find out and kill me!”  
Derek gave a huge sigh and left the room for a moment, coming back with Stiles' clothing, along with a few extra warmer items - a scarf, some mittens and another sweater - neatly folded into a pile.  
“Get dressed, we're going to Deaton's.”

\--

Lia sat on the examination table of Deaton's office as he wrapped her wounds. She was too numb to fight back against him and too disoriented to bolt from the office to recover her friend's body. So there she sat, arm stretched out, eyes focused on her lap.  
Marin remained close by, arms folded, “Why aren't you healing?”  
Lia sighed, “I'm out of power. I need energy.”  
“Then I'll give you my energy,” Marin went over to Lia, but was blocked by the succubus extending her free hand.  
“No Marin, please just leave me alone,” Lia looked up with tears in her eyes.  
Marin met her eyes with an inquisitive expression.  
“I could have said no,” Lia whispered, “I could have told him it was a bad idea... I could have just refused to help him...”  
When Deaton finished wrapping her arm, she brought it close to her body, hugging herself. Her chin fell to her chest and she sobbed, “Stiles was never been afraid of me and never thought I was weird,” she furiously wiped tears away, “Even before this whole mess in the woods he was my only friend.”  
Deaton and Marin exchanged a knowing look before he left the two of them alone. Marin closed the gap between her and Lia, wrapping her arms around the younger girl, resting her chin on her head. Without any sexual energy to disguise herself, Lia truly looked like a demon. Her eyes were a deep shade of hibiscus pink. Her huge black wings were folded at rest on her back while spiralling, ram-like horns rested on top of her head. She sobbed against Marin's breast. Secretly, she always wanted to be close to them, but never like this.  
“Why did you come back?” Marin asked, breaking the silence, “You know it doesn't look good.”  
Lia pressed her lips together in a thin, white line. She couldn’t tell Marin the real reason for her return. Not yet. So instead, she decided to tell the emissary half-truths, “Because I wanted to be seen as something other than what I am,” she said slowly, “But I've made myself into more of a monster.”  
“You were never a monster,” Marin said firmly, almost angry, “That's why I saved you in the first place.”  
Lia very gently turned her head, rubbing her cheek against Marin's breast, careful not to bump the older woman with her horns, “I just wanted to live a normal, quiet life in Beacon Hills. I didn't want this.”  
Marin lifted her head and squared Lia's shoulders, “Like it or not, you are a succubus. It is your gift and right, but you're not utilizing your potential. Why are you so afraid to be what you are?”  
“Because,” she shivered and whispered, “Succubi aren't supposed to be good. If I'm good, then what am I?”  
Marin pulled back just a little to search Lia's rose eyes. Gently, but with absolution in her voice she said, “I can’t tell you what you are, but I can tell you what you are not. You are not the expectations put on you by your name,” she continued while squeezing her shoulders, “You are whatever you choose to become. So, you must ask yourself that continuously. Will you give into your nature or will you rise above it?”  
Lia bit her bottom lip and sniffled, looking downward with a contemplative expression. Before she could say anything else, she heard the front door burst open with great force. She looked up just in time to see Marin's beautiful features narrow into a scowl. Lia could feel her expression mirror the older woman's as she stood up and moved in front of her, “Stay back, Marin.”  
“You're still hurt!”  
She shook her head and brandished her claws, “Even hurt, I'm still stronger than you,” she saw Marin's mouth open to protest but she turned away and charged toward the front claws and fangs bared.  
Right at the entrance stood Deaton with Stiles and Derek. They all turned and stared at her with wide eyes.  
Derek stepped in front of them all, eyes flashing blue, fangs bared as his face morphed instantly, “You...” he growled.  
Lia let out a warning cry at the werewolf and he snarled in turn.  
Stiles quickly stepped in front of Derek, extending his arms toward his broad chest, “Derek, stop!” As Stiles stared, Lia noticed that while Derek was breathing heavily his face slowly morphed back, but his eyes were still flashing blue. Stiles looked over his shoulder to Lia with a weak smile and breathed, “You're okay.”  
Lia huffed a sigh of relief, relaxing at the sight of him. She let out a short laugh, “So are you,” she had to choke back a sob, refusing to show her emotional side in front of Derek.  
Stiles turned to her and clutched his ribs in pain with a hiss, “Mostly,” he said in a strained voice. It was all she needed to come to his side and gently lift his sweater to show where an ugly, dark bruise was forming.  
“You got hurt,” her brows creased, “I'm so sorry.”  
“It was my idea,” he shook his head, “I dragged you into this.”  
"It doesn't matter whose idea it was. You could have died," Lia swallowed thickly, "And I'm a shitty friend for endangering you."  
Stiles gave a modest shrug and his lips broke into his usual lazy smile, “Hey, but we’re okay now, aren’t we?”  
“Mostly,” Lia said quietly as she slowly approached him and closed the gap between them, their hips pressed flush against each other’s.  
Stiles looked at her questioningly and his mouth formed a small circle as if to ask ‘what’ or ‘why’, but before he could, Lia seized his lips and urgently shoved her hand up his shirt to press against his injury. He made a muffled sound that was painful and surprised at once, but slowly brought his hands around her waist.  
As Lia kissed him, she glanced over his shoulder to meet Derek Hale’s gaze. He looked pissed and she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes and smile through the kiss. Her other hand came to rest between Stiles' shoulder blades knowing that he would be watching. The beta wouldn’t admit it, but right now she was in possession of the thing he wanted most and he hated it. She could see it in his ice blue eyes. To further mock him, she traced soothing little circles on the muscles of Stiles' back as she continued to kiss him. Still, despite maliciously teasing him, she could hear Marin’s words echoing in her head ‘Will you give in to your nature or rise above it?’  
She could feel herself draining Stiles' growing sexual energy from the kiss, but instead of keeping it, she immediately gave it back to him, turned it into something else. The injured rib under her fingers began to move back into its rightful place and she could hear his previously weakened breath grow stronger and deeper. His muscles were less tense and he was strong enough to pull his head back from the kiss to stare at her in disbelief.  
“Did you just heal me?”  
“Did I?” Lia pressed her hand against his side.  
Stiles preemptively sucked in a sharp breath anticipating the pain, but when it didn’t come he lifted his shirt and looked. The pain was gone as well as the ugly bruising with it.  
“Whoa,” he breathed softly, “I didn’t even know you could do that!”  
“Neither did I,” Lia admitting as she looked in his eyes, her hands sliding away as a smile spread on her lips, “But I had a good feeling that I might.”  
“How?”  
“I can already heal myself with the same energy. I didn’t see why I couldn’t use it for someone else,” she rubbed the side of her neck, “And considering what we went through I think you’re a good someone else to start with.”  
Stiles smiled in awe at her, “That’s incredible.”  
Lia found that she somehow had the grace to blush in the situation and looked aside modestly, “Whatever, Stiles. Can you let me go now?”  
Stiles realized his hands were still on her waist, despite the fact that her hands slid away once he was okay, “Yeah! Sorry!” He jumped back as if he had been shocked and cleared his throat, embarrassed.  
“I’m glad we’re all okay, but we have bigger things we need to think about dealing with,” came Derek Hale’s frustrated voice.  
Lia gave him an intentional sickeningly sweet smile, “Of course we do, Big Bad, but nothing that can’t wait until the morning. We’ve both been through a lot, don’t you think?”  
Derek pursed his jaw and his nostrils flared at her tone of voice, but she continued, “Obviously the manticore is guarding something very intently, but it won’t leave anytime soon. We just have to make sure no one else is feeling as adventurous as we were.”  
Stiles nodded, “I’ll tell dad.”  
“I suggest we plan in the morning,” Lia said, stretching her arms, “There’s nothing we can do about this tonight. Plus, I’m hungry.”  
“Need to get your bloodlust fix?” Derek asked sarcastically while glaring over at her.  
“Hm, sorry, but I believe you’re thinking of vampires. Nice try though,” Lia smirked at him.  
“Not too far off, though. Fanged, soul sucking, hell demons…”  
Stiles looked between them, “God! What is with you guys? Derek, she healed me,” he lifted his shirt to make a point to show the older man that his bruises disappeared, “Can’t you cut her some slack?”  
Lia’s mouth broke into a grin, “Yeah, Big Bad. Can’t you?”  
“You’re not helping,” Stiles glanced over at her.  
Lia’s eyes went wide to feign innocence, “But it’s like he hates me for something and if there’s something that I can do to fix that...” her gaze met Derek’s. She knew he would never admit why he was angry, “Care to talk about it?”  
Derek breathed heavily a few times before he turned away, “There’s nothing to say. Come on, Stiles. I’ll take you home.”  
Stiles nodded and turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway and looked over at Lia one last time, “Are you going to be okay?”  
She nodded, “I’ll be fine. Go get some rest. You need it.”  
Marin and Lia watched them leave. Soon, they heard the sound of the Camero’s engine starting up. It didn’t take long until it faded to a hum in the distance. Once it did, Marin finally spoke from the doorway, “What was that about?”  
Lia turned and smiled at her, “Isn’t it obvious? Derek wants Stiles so bad that it’s killing him. I thought maybe that would be enough to spark some conversation but,” She shrugged, “Oh well,” she approached Marin with a smile.  
“Isn’t that a little mean?” Marin asked, though she was smiling.  
Lia looked contemplative for a moment as she crossed the room to sit on the table again. Her fingers traced against a tear in her jeans, “Maybe…” She bit her bottom lip and glanced up with an uncharacteristic shyness that Marin always seemed to bring out of her, before turning to her lap again, “Is it too late to take your offer on the energy?”  
Marin looked to Lia’s hands, then met her eyes with a small smile. She reached out and twined their fingers together and Lia revelled in the familiar sweetness of it all.  
"Look at me," Marin said in a quiet tone.  
Lia hesitated but looked to the older woman, pressing her lips together firmly.  
Marin held Lia's gaze in tense silence with that small smile playing on her lips. Still, it was hard to tell what she was thinking.  
"Your eyes are different," she finally said.  
Lia's eyes immediately cast down again and she nodded.  
Marin reached out and tilted her chin up, "They're gorgeous," she assured before she leaned forward to press her lips to Lia's.  
And Lia felt her heart grow light for the first time in a long time. 

\--

 

The ride back to the Stilinski household felt much longer than usual just because of how silent Derek was the entire time. Stiles could at least say that he knew the werewolf well enough that he was aware the older man never had much to say. However, this time felt completely different. This time he couldn’t tell if Derek was contemplative because there was a manticore in the forest and they needed to plan, or if he was angry that Stiles found out about it. Or maybe he was mad because of Lia and their exchange.  
Either way, Stiles felt like this somehow lead back to something he did.  
“You okay there, big guy?” He couldn’t help but ask.  
“I’m fine,” Came Derek’s stoic reply, and this made Stiles huff out a slow sigh because clearly that was bullshit.  
“Look, I’m sorry about all the mess tonight, okay? I’m sorry if I made you worry.”  
Derek gave him a sideways glance before looking forward again.  
“Really! I mean, if I knew it was that dangerous I wouldn’t have suggested it in the first place, but you know what? At least now we know what we’re up against.”  
He could hear Derek sigh audibly.  
“Okay, and maybe I didn’t go about it in the best way, but at least I took someone with me. No one else seemed concerned and I didn’t want to have a repeat of - oh, I don’t know - the last two years of my life! I mean, you know between werewolves and that fucking darach and--”  
“Stiles…” Came Derek’s voice, finally. It made him shut his mouth because Derek didn’t say much, but when he did, Stiles made sure to listen. “I’m not mad at you. I’m glad you’re fine,” he made a low, growling noise in his throat before he begrudgingly said, “I’m glad you were healed.”  
“Really? Because something’s bothering you and now it’s bothering me because you won’t tell me what that something is!” Stiles insisted before he dramatically flopped back against the seat, “I mean, honestly, I thought we were past this point by now. You know you can talk to me, right?”  
Another sideways glance.  
“I’m not looking to sit by a bonfire and sing kumbaya, but your feelings are important and you should talk about them, okay? There’s nothing wrong with feelings, Derek.”  
Derek gave a short chuckle and rolled his eyes.  
At least that was something.  
“No, there’s nothing wrong with feelings,” Derek exhaled slowly, “I just don’t trust her. I know you do, but I don’t.”  
Stiles nodded slowly and replied, “I really think she’s a good ally to have.”  
Derek shook his head, “We don’t know that yet. Despite what you say, we really don’t. The body in the paper isn’t related to the manticore.”  
It was a good point, but Stiles offered a shrug, “She hasn’t ticked off my evil dar yet.”  
“Evil dar?”  
“You know, it’s like gaydar, but for evil.”  
Another short laugh.  
“C’mon, I was totally right about Matt.”  
“That’s one person out of everything we’ve had to face.”  
Stiles scoffed, “Everyone already knew Jackson was a dick, and I already think English class is evil to have known about Jennifer so cut me some slack here.”  
Another eye roll.  
“Fine, but if I’m wrong, you can totally point in my face and say I told you so for like, ever, okay?”  
“This isn’t about being right. This is about keeping you safe.”  
Stiles eyebrows shot up in surprise, “Keeping me safe? Derek, I’m fine.”  
“You almost died tonight.”  
“I don’t think a broken rib meant I was going to die…”  
“Then let’s list off what could have happened if I hadn’t shown up at the right moment.”  
Stiles crossed his arms defensively when something occurred to him, “Hey, what were you doing out there in the first place?”  
Derek glanced over but stayed silent.  
“I’m just going to keep talking until you tell me.”  
“You’re going to keep talking anyway.”  
“Then I’ll never shut up about it until you do!”  
Derek looked irritated, but he gave a resigned sigh before he said, “I was going to check out what was in the woods because it was one of the things you wouldn’t shut up about.”  
Stiles brows knitted in confusion, “What? Why would you go by yourself?”  
Derek sighed, “Because I’d rather be the one out there over everyone else. Especially since we didn’t know what it was.”  
“So what, are you on this self-sacrificial shit again?”  
Derek shook his head, “I wanted to get to it first because I knew at one point you were going to go no matter what,” he scratched at the back of his neck, “I wanted to find out what was there and keep you from going. That way you would just stay put and talk to Deaton or use Google or do whatever the hell you do when you research.”  
Stiles glanced over, “So you wanted to beat me to the punch and risk your own life?”  
“I know you’ve seen the bodies from your dad’s reports. You think you could have done any better against it? At least I stood a chance.”  
Stiles practically choked at the words, “Really? Because I’ve seen you go up against things too and it’s never good! You’re lucky you make it out alive!”  
“But I do! If you were in the same fights you wouldn’t stand a chance and I don’t want to be the one to find your body!”  
Stiles stopped when he realized that Derek’s eyes were raw with emotion.  
“Why is it so hard for you to grasp that I’m trying to keep you alive?”  
“Derek…”  
“This shouldn’t even be an argument but you’re so stubborn!”  
At that moment, they pulled up into the driveway and Derek put the car into park. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his seat, pointing outside, “Just go, Stiles,” he said in a tone that meant he was completely done with the conversation.  
Stiles watched as Derek sat it in his seat rubbing the spot between his eyes, breathing heavily as he gathered himself. Stiles was unsure if Derek was going to melt down or if he was containing himself from finally fulfilling his threats of ripping Stiles’ throat out, but seeing him in such a vulnerable way made him feel guilty.  
“Derek, c’mon man,” Stiles reached out and touched his forearm, “C’mon, look at me.”  
Derek kept his eyes closed as he let his hand drop to his side. He tilted his head back as he softly admitted, “I don’t want to lose you, too.”  
Something about the way Derek said that cut him to the core.  
“Derek, look, I’m sorry,” he swallowed thickly, “I didn’t think you felt that strongly.”  
Another laugh, but this one was sardonic.  
“Really! I mean, I get you’re trying to keep me safe because I’m human and everything but…”  
Derek finally uncovered his eyes and met Stiles' gaze, “I’m trying to keep you safe because you’re you.”  
Stiles was stunned to silence by the weight of Derek’s words.  
They sat in this silence, searching each other’s eyes until the werewolf licked his lips and added, “You’re important to everyone.”  
Stiles pressed his lips together and slowly nodded, “Then, if it means so much to you, I’ll be careful,” when Derek looked unconvinced, he added, “I won’t just charge into a situation, okay? But you can’t either.”  
“Fine.”  
“Do you promise?”  
Derek rolled his eyes a little, “Are we five?”  
“Do you, Derek?”  
Derek searched Stiles eyes before he slowly nodded, “Yeah, I promise. Do you?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Then say it.”  
“I promise,” Stiles smiled down at his lap, “We seem to work better together anyway.”  
When Stiles looked up, he could have sworn Derek was blushing, but maybe it was the lighting of the street lamps combined with the moon because that wasn’t something Derek did.  
Right?  
Stiles cleared his throat, “I’ll look more into how we can take down this manticore and let you know the details when I figure them out.”  
“You should sleep, it’s late.”  
Stiles glanced to the dashboard which showed 1:30, “I guess you’re right,” he opened the door, the chilly outside air flooding the interior of the car. Carefully, he stepped out, but not before turning back one last time, “Do you want to meet after I get out of class?”  
Derek looked contemplative before he nodded.  
“Cool, there’s a Starbucks that’s a nice halfway point, unless you don’t like coffee or whatever.”  
Derek gave a slow smile, “That’s fine.”  
Stiles nodded and he smiled in turn, “Then… I guess I’ll see you then.”  
“I guess you will.”  
“Night, Derek.”  
“Good night, Stiles,” And when Stiles shut the door, he watched as Derek threw the car into reverse to back out of the driveway before speeding off into the night.  
As the tail lights faded down the street, Stiles made his way back up to the front door, digging into his pockets for his keys. When he unlocked it and pushed it open, he was hit with a sudden realization.  
Did he just ask Derek Hale out on a study date? And better than that, did Derek actually agree to go?  
With that in mind, Stiles somehow knew that sleep wouldn’t come easy that night.

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be part of a series, so don't worry! More to come :) Who is Lia? Where did she come from? What exactly is hidden in the forest? In the meantime, check [me](http://theafrowonder.tumblr.com/) out on Tumblr.


End file.
